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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEe GEORGE KER, OE PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN AUTO- MATIO OAR-COUPLING COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING. i

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,928, dated J' une 5, 1894. Application led December 27, 1892. Renewed October `31, 1893. Serial No. 489,663. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland purpose than the couplings heretofore in use.

Among others, one of the principal features of my inventiony is t0 adapt my coupling hook and drawhead to lock with each other While Ithe cars are in motion, to prevent the coupling from becoming disengaged, without interfering with the uncoupling of cars. And to attain greater durability the construction of my drawhead and coupling hook is such as to distribute the pull of the link on thel cou pling-hook between three bearings, as will' appear from the accompanying drawings, above referred to, in which, the figures seen show as follows:

Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. 4, shows means for lifting my coupling hook, to uncouple; and Fig. 5 shows my coupling hook.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views. v

The drawhead A, has a top-opening b, extending downward and connecting in front with the throat c, and in the rear with the sockets or boxes d, which receive the short journals or trunnions e of the hook f. lThe sockets d, open vout on top of the drawhead, their mouths being so constructed as to facilitate the insertion of the said trunnions e. of the hook f; and the front sides of the sockets d are provided with concave recesses g leaving abutments h, such construction affording bearings for the trunnions of the hook, under certain conditions, as will be seen. The bottom of the drawhead is provided with a slot or opening i' to discharge dirt or snow that may fall through the opening b, and which might otherwise collect in the drawhead and interfere with the working of my coupling hook; and j is another annular opening intended to receive the nose f of the hook, but being also adapted yto receive the lower end of a coupling pin, which could, in an emergency, be substituted for my coupling hook. The drawhead is bell mouthed to facilitate the insertion of a coupling link, la.

The construction of my coupling hook f is shown in Fig. 5. When the same is inserted in the top of my drawhead the short journals or trunnions, e, will rest on the bottom of the sockets d and the base bf the hook rest on the door of the opening b, the rear portion of said hook being enlarged so that the bottom thereof, when resting in kthe position mentioned will overlap the slot While in this position my hook is ready to receive the coupling link. The latter being engaged in the drawhead of one car, and such car backed against another to be coupled, the link enters the mouth of the drawhead and in so doing is brought in contact with the nose of the hook, causing said hook to lift and permit thelink to pass, and then dropping in place again in the same position that it irst occupied,'in dicated in Fig. l, by a broken outline of such hook. If the cars are now started the pull of the link will draw the hook forward, bringing the trunnions c, against the abutments h, the head, Z, of the hook in contact with the abutment Z', in the drawhead, and dropping the nose in the opening j. Thus, not only will there be a central pull of the link on the hook,'but the strain on the hook itself will be distributed between three points of contact,` the trunnions, the head and the nose. When uncoupling the cars, as the same are jammed together the link is drivenv against the neck of the hook, causing the latter to assume its original, unlocked position, and the hook may then be raised by means of a chain and lever, shown for example in Fig. 5, or other contrivance, to disengage the coupling link. To provide convenient means for holding the lever m, by means of which my hook is lifted, I have cut part of the bearing n away, so that the lever when raised can be secured by pushing the same over the lower tube-portion left intact of said bearing n.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the coupling-hook IOO in position to hold a link so as to couple with the drawhead of a car standing lower oft the ground/the nose f having a concave recess to rest on and hold the link for this purpose in the desired position.

Having thus described my invention, now what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupling, a drawhead having an opening as b extending downward and connecting in front with the throat of the draw head, and in the rear with sockets d, adapted to receive the short journals or trunnions e of the hook, the said sockets openingr out on top of the drawhead and having concave recesses leaving abutxnents 7L for the trunnions of the hook to bear against when the coupling link pulls on the same in combination with acoupling hook, constructed substantially as described `having trunnions adapted to be seated in said sockets d, and means for lifting said hook when uncoupling, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, a drawhead having an opening as Z1 extending downward and connecting in front with the throat of the drawhead, and in the rear with sockets d, adapted to receive the short journals or trunnions e of the hook, the said sockets opening out on top of the drawhead and having concave recesses leaving abutments h, for the trunnionsof the hook to bear against when the coupling link pulls on the same, and abutments Z for the head of the hook to bear against and lock with as specified, in combination with a coupling hook constructed substantially as described, having trunnions adapted to be seated in said sockets, CZ, and the head of which hook is adapted to lock with the said abutments Z in the drawhead, and means for lifting said hook when uncoupling, all substantially as described.

3. In a car coupler, a drawhead having an opening b extending downward and connecting in front with the throat of the drawhead, and in the rear with the sockets CZ, adapted to receive the short journals or trunnions e, of the hook, the sockets oZ opening outon top of the drawhead, and having concave recesses g, leavingabutments h for the trunnions of the hook to bear against when the couplinglink draws on the same, an abutment Z', for the head of the hook to bear against and lock with, as specified, and a slot t' and annular openingj for the purposes mentioned, in con1- bination with a coupling hook, constructed substantially as described, having trunnions adapted to be seated in said sockets (Z, and the head thereof being adapted to lock with the abutment Z, in the drawhead as described, and means for lifting said hook when uncon pling, all substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE K ER. 

